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The FDA and Medical Marijuana

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) accepts or rejects a drug for medical use after receiving
an application for a drugs approval as a prescription medicine, accompanied by supporting data
provided by the company seeking to market that drug.
The FDA has never received such an application for marijuana. However, on April 20, 2006, the
FDA issued an unusual press release restating the federal governments position that marijuana has
not been shown to be a safe and effective medicine.
Did the FDA study marijuana prior to issuing the statement?
No. The FDA does not conduct its own trials of drugs, including marijuana. And the FDA
statement did not refer to any new research or even any new review or analysis of existing data, even
though much new research was available.
Did the FDA consider expert reviews of medical marijuana, such as the 1999 Institute
of Medicine (IOM) report, which stated, Nausea, appetite loss, pain and anxiety ... all
can be mitigated by marijuana?
Apparently not. There is no mention of the IOM report in the FDA statement, and IOM report
co-author Dr. John Benson told The New York Times that the government loves to ignore our
report ... They would rather it never happened.
So if the FDA didnt study marijuana or even review old data, why did it issue a
statement at that particular time?
The agency has never explained this, but the evidence points to political pressure. Congressman
Mark Souder (R-IN), perhaps the most vehement opponent of medical marijuana in the U.S.
Congress, wrote repeatedly to acting FDA Commissioner Andrew C. von Eschenbach seeking such a
statement, writing in one letter, I am exasperated at FDAs failure to act against the fraudulent claims
of medical marijuana.
Why havent medical marijuana supporters tried to take marijuana through the FDA
approval process?
A group of researchers at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst is actively seeking to do
this, but the Drug Enforcement Administration is blocking their efforts. The researchers are trying to
create a facility to grow specific marijuana strains under controlled, reproducible conditions to test
marijuanas efficacy for various indications. Such research is essential for FDA approval, but the DEA
has refused to approve such a facility. Until this changes, the door to the FDA is blocked.
Has any notable medical marijuana research occurred since the FDA statement?
Yes. Among others, a University of California study found that marijuana effectively relieves
peripheral neuropathy, a type of debilitating nerve pain that afflicts many patients with HIV/AIDS,
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with few side effects. And an observational study found that patients being treated for the deadly
hepatitis C virus (HCV) were much more likely to be cured of the lethal virus if they used marijuana,
apparently because marijuana relieves the side effects of harsh, anti-HCV drugs, allowing more
patients to complete treatment.
The FDA statement repeatedly refers to smoked marijuana. Does this mean that other
ways of administering marijuana might be okay?
It should, but the statements intent in this regard is unclear. Smoking has distinct advantages,
such as rapid onset of action and ease of dose adjustment, but it also has known health risks. The
FDA statement did not acknowledge such established non-smoked ways of using medical marijuana
as teas, tinctures, and cooking marijuana in food. Of critical importance, several studies have shown
that vaporization allows the use of whole marijuana with the advantages of smoking but few, if any,
of the pulmonary risks associated with smoking. MPP is unaware of any statement from any federal
government agency even acknowledging that this technology exists.

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